Card-fleece-width controller.



C. A. ALLEN.

CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.ZI.19I2. I 1 152 39, Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

g 8 SHEETS-SHEET I.

1 0o. 1 ,T 7n H f w p 68 SH d m n8 6 ATU & P

v c. A. ALLEN. CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. I912.

INVENTOH NTOR/VEV Nm mm M m hm hm & R 9 m 2 5 1 km E 1! lllllllll ll COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINOTON. n. C,

WITNESSES C. A. ALLEN.

v PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

8 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNESSES m N M H A C. A. ALLEN.

CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. 1912.

1,15%,389. PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. D, c.

C. A. ALLEN.

I CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. I912.

7, 1915. s SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSES COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co, WASHINGTON, D, c,

C. A. ALLEN.

CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. 19x2.

1,152,3@9, Patent-edSept. 7, 1915.

B SHEETS-SHEET 6- WITNESSES C. A. ALLEN.

CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER. APPLICATION FILED AUG.2I. I912.

INVENTOR AORNEXS Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

8 SHEETSSHEET7 w K I L IIIILLLQ 1 m JLIM WITNESSES C. A. ALLEN.

CARD FLEECE WIDTH CONTROLLER.-

APPLlCATlON FILED Aue.21. 1912.

8 SHEETS-SHEET B.

M i I Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

, NT am CHARLES A. ALLEN, 0F WHITINSVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WHITIN MACHINE WORKS, OF X VHITINSVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- oHUsETrs.

CARD-FLEECE-WIDTI-I CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7,1915.

Application filed August 21, 1912. serial No. 716,139.

To all whom it may concern Y Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in \Vhitinsville, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented the followingdescribed Improvement in Card-Fleeceidth Controllers.

The invention is an apparatus for controlling the width of the fleece delivered by carding machines and is specially applicable as an appliance or attachment to be used with or as a part of the carding machines that are used in apparatus for making cotton wadding.

To this end the invention in its preferred form consists of a card-front which can be applied to existing cards with but slight alteration of the latter and which will serve either to expand or contract the fleece delivered by the card as desired.

The principle of operation of the invention will be apparent from the construction of said preferred form, as described below in connection with the eight sheets of drawings forming part hereof and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of an ordinary card equipped with a fleece-controlling card front such as referred to, and mounted on an elevated platform to accommodate the passage underneath it of the traveling conveyer which receives the fleece after its change in width. Fig. 2 is a diagram representing a series of cards equipped with like card fronts, each adapted to deliver its fleece to the traveling conveyer, in superposition with others. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the card front shown in Fig. 1, with parts broken out and the conveyer shown in section. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of such front from the same side as viewed in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a similar elevation from the opposite side, the gear casing being removed. Fig. 0' is a longitudinal vertical section through the central portion of the device. Fig. 7 is a section on line VII-VII, showing the apron and tape driving and controlling mechanism in its turned-back position. Figs/8 and 9 are details of the tape guides in their positions in which they are placed for reducing and for expanding the width of the fleece, respectively, being views looking rearwardly at such guides with the apron removed and the guide pivots in section.

Referring first to Fig. 2, the apparatus there represented comprises a series of any desired number of cards 1 placed above a traveling belt or conveyer 2, and delivering their respective fleeces in superposition upon it. Upon this conveyer the superposed ieeces are carried to the folding or lapping mechanism, not shown in the figure, or to such other apparatus as may be employed to finish the wadding. While the cards could be placed at the side of the conveyer, it is preferred to mount them one behind the other and directly over it, for which purpose they are set on a framework 3 and the beams L, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The card-front apparatus is adapted to be mounted directly in front of the doffing cylinder 5 of the card, in the place where the coiling mechanism is normally located, so that it may receive the freshly formed fleece as it leaves the doffer 6. The front may, if desired, be built into the main frame of the card, but in, the case taken for illustration it is supported independently on a platform in the position stated. being arranged to be driven from, the card however, through a train of gearing referred to below.

The apparatus consists essentially of a series of fleece-conducting members, such as the endless bands or tapes 7 which are suitably supported and spaced apart so as, to gether, to constitute a tape-formed, fleececonducting surface of substantially the width at one end of the card cylinder, and

at the other, of the fleece to be produced. The tapes are driven on their supporting means so that they carry the fleece away from beneath the card dofler 6, and by virtue of the arrangement or previous adjustment of the courses over which each moves, and the contact that each has with the under side of the fleece, they operate to contract or even to expand the width of the fleece, as may be desired. The courses which the tapes follow are convergent either toward one end or the other, according as the fleece is to .be contracted or expanded, and in the preferred'einbodiment the said courses are adjustableso that they can be set at different degrees of convergence to deliver a fleece which is of any width desired, less or greater than, or the same as, the card cylinder. The number and uniformity of arrangement of the tape surfaces prescribe cylinder 9 from which it'is doffed by an oscillating doifer knife l0, falling thence directly onto the conveyer 2.

Referring to the construction of the fleece conducting and changing mechanism, the

several tapes 7 are mounted to move through their operating courses or stretches on the smooth upper curved surface of an apron 11, which notonly forms the support for the tapes but alsio the support for the driving means thereof and the. means whereby the degree of theirconvergence can be varied. To this purpose the apron is provided with side members 12 constituting .a frame-work for the said parts, which is pivoted on the standard 13 at one side and on a frame plate 14: at. the other, so that it canswing or tilt forwardly on a horizontal or transverse aXis as indicated in some of the figures of the drawings. ll hen tilted forward all of the tape controlling parts housed beneath or within the apron front are disclosed to view. W hen in its normal position, the top of the front is bolted to the, ends of the cardframe 15, as shown in'Fig. 3, and when in this position the apron extends forwardly and downwardly from the card doffer 6 to the receiving brush 8. In the under side of the apron 11, the tapes'are guided on a seri'es ofcguide frames or levers 16, each of which is hung on a pivot bolt 17, which latter are screwed into the cross-bar of the apron, in a row, near the top. (SeeFigs.

'8 and 9.) Atftheir upper and lower ends the guides 16 are bifurcated to accommodate the tape-pulleys 18, which are fiat-faced pulleys 'journaled in the 'bifurcation so that the projecting'cheeks 19, serveto hold the pulleys on them. The space that would be occupied by flange pulleys is thus saved, and the top pulleys are thereby enabled to deliver their tapes directly to thertop surface of the curved apron in a plane which is coincident 'or tangential thereto, and. without encroaching on the conductor plate 20 immediately thereabove. This plate 20 carrying the selvage guides 20 is removably mounted on a crossbar 21, carried ,on end brackets 22 secured to the card-frame 15, and its function is to cover the tape pulleys and bridge the gap between the doifer cylinder 5 and the tapes. The tapes 7, being trained over the curved front of the apron as well as over the pulleys of their guide levers 1.6, as just stated, are also trained over a common driving drum 23 and over a series of take-up pulleys 24, each of which is put under adjustable spring tension by a spring 25, which latter has a threaded shank 26 attached to a lug 27 on each of the respective guide levers. The tapes are thus brought into proper contact under all conditions of adjustment, to be driven by their driving drum and impelled across the face of the apron. The tape drum is journaled in the rearward arms of the apron frame, its axle 28 projecting beyond one of the arms and carrying a spur gear 29, by which it is driven. lVhen the frame is in its operative position this gear 29 meshes with a drive pinion 30, which is in turn driven by a spur gear 31 (Fig. 3) through a gear train comprising the following :a shaft 32, to which the gears 31 and 33 as well as the gear 3st are secured, a train of gears marked 35 which drives-the gear and the shaft 32, and the gear 36 which connects the train with the doli'er cylinder gear 37 and is provided with a handle 38 by which it may be thrown out of mesh therewith to disconnect the whole card front from the driving action of the card. The said train of gears and the shaft 32 are mounted on the plate 14 above referred to as well as upon an auxiliary standard 39, but it will be evident that any suitable means may be employed for their proper support or for the drive of the card front. In the present case the drive pinion 30 is adjustably mounted on the frame plate so that it may accommodate different sizes of tape drum gears 29 interchangeably mountable on the drum shaft 28 to vary the speed of V the tapes.

Vhen the apron is tilted back on its axis, as shown in Fig. 7, the drum gear 29 abuts against the overhanging card frame 15 forming a stop for the apron.

The positions of the tapes on the apron and their degree of convergence thereon, is

- determined by the relative positions of their respective guide levers 16, which can be shifted, as desired, by swinging them, as well as" theirspring-pulled take-ups, on the pivot bolts 17. The illustrated mechanism for this purpose comprises means which are subject to convenient manual control, to impart an increasing degree of movement to the successive guide levers counted from the center to the sides, so that all of them will thus be maintained convergent to substantially a single point, except, of course, when adjusted in parallelism, and it also comprises means for bodily adjusting the whole series of levers, whereby the delivery of the fleece can be accurately set to coincide in exact registry with some other fleece deposited on the conveyer. 2 from another card.

psi

Each of the guide levers, except the cen-. tral one, is provided with a forward stud d0, the studs being arranged at progressively greater distances from the pivot bolt of each lever, on each succeeding lever, from the center to the sides, and as plainly shown in Figs. 8 and 9. F or the set of levers on each side of the center, there is provided an actuating plate a1 engaging the said studs and mounted to slide on two cross-shafts 42 and l3 secured to the side frames 12 of the apron. The projected ends of the lower of these shafts form the trunnions by which the apron is tiltably mounted on the standard 13 and the gear plate 1% as above described. The two actuating plates ll are threaded to a double-pitch screw shaft ll, which is rotatably mounted between its opposite threads in a thrust collar l5, secured to the central guide-lever, such collar being provided with suitable means to prevent endwise movement of the screw-shaft relatively to it. The said screw-shaft is also mounted rotatably in a bushing 46, in which it is held against endwise movement by two thrust collars L7. The bushing is threaded into the side frame 12 and provided with a spanner hole as well as a pair of jamnuts, from which it will be seen that the screw-shaft 41 i is capable of endwise adjustment by appropriately operating the threaded bushing and that such endwise adjustment will produce corresponding lateral adjustment of the center guidelever and, through the actuator plates, of all of the levers in the series. By rotating the screw shaft in the bushing, as by means of a crank on its square end, the actuator plates may be caused to recede or apj'iroach and thereby impart angular movements to the levers corresponding to the dis tan cos of their respective studs 4-0 from their pivots. As above stated these distances are selected so as to preserve uniform convergence for all adjustments, but it will be evident that an approximation to uniformity can be obtained with less complicated apparatus and without, for instance, imparting a geometricall proportionate movement to each individual lever.

l 8 shows the levers in the extreme position for contracting the width of the fleece; Fig. 9 shows the opposite convergence for expanding the fleece, as will now be readily understood.

The delivery mechanism, which also reforms the reduced or expanded fleece, is mounted directly in front of the lower end of the tape-surface, on standards which are independently adjustable toward and from the same. Such adjustment is mainly to take up for wear on the brush bristles, and. the pa ticular features thereof being met ters of ordinary employment will not require description. The shaft 48 of the brush 8 carries a gear 49, meshing with an adjustable gear 50, which is driven by the gear 34 above referred to and from it receives motion in the same direction as the tape drum. At its opposite end the brush shaft 48 carries a gear 51, driving the gear 52 of a guide-roll 52 mounted directly above the brush. and close against the tapes. Through the pinion 5st, compounded with gear 52, and the idler 55, the brush drives the doffer cylinder 9. The direction of motion and relative speeds are such that the fleece is taken from the tapes by the brush, beneath the guide-roll 58 and carried over in the direction of the arrow and deposited on the dolier cylinder, which carries it downwardly and around to its front side where it is combed off as a fresh and perfect fleece, by the oscillating dofl'er-knife 10. This knife and the main card dofl'er knife 6, are driven by belts 56 and 57, from. the card pulley 58 (Fig. 1) and may be con-- structed according to any usual design. The guide-roll. 53 is provided with a clearer cover 59 held in position thereon by a light cross-bar and framework 60, as shown in Fig. 3. i

i The brush 8 preferably rotates at a slightly less surface speed than the tapes though it may operate at the same or a higher speed. In taking the fleece from the tapes and plac ing it upon the doffer cylinder, the original fleece becomes thereby virtually formed over again, and any possible inequalities in its thickness due to extreme expansions or contractions, are thereby eliminated, and the selvage particularly is reformed in a clean and regular condition. The width however remains the same as delivered by the tapes, and by the adjustments provided can be accommodated quickly and while the front is in operation, to any condition required. By bodily shifting all the tapes to the right or left, an exact superposition of fleeces can be obtained on the conveyor, from which fact in particular it will be observed that the utility of the new apparatus is not confined solely to the reduction or expansion of the width of the fleece upon which it acts.

' It will be plain to those familiar with the art that the specific forms of the par-ts above described, and particularly the framing and card mounting, can be widely varied from that illustrated and described herein and without change in the principle of the invention, and further, that the specific fleece width'controlling means can be used with any other suitable means for reforming the fleece or without any means at all, and also that various rearrangements of the dimensions and proportions and of the driving gearing can be resorted to without affecting the principle of operation or departing from the substance of the invention.

1 claim 1. In apparatus for making cotton wadsee ding, the combination of a series of cards provided with a conveyer receiving the fleeces thereof in superposition and each provided with fleece conducting means between itself and such conveyer comprising multiple surfaces moving in convergent lines controlling card-fronts comprising means for changing the width of the fleeces and a cylinder and doifer knife for delivering the changed fleeces 1n superposition upon such 'c'onveyer.

3. In apparatus for making cotton wadding, the combination ofa series of cards, a conveyer common to the series adapted to receive the fleeces therefrom in superposed relation and means comprising a series of moving surfaces for changing the width of such fleeces in transit from the card to the conveyer. a

4:. In apparatus for making cotton wadding, the combination of a series of cards, a conveyer common to the series arranged to receive the fleeces therefrom in superposed relation and a card-front operative'to change the width of each of such fleeces in its passage to the conveyer and means for adjusting such front to control the degree of such change; I

5. A fleece width-controlling means for cards comprising a plurality of surfaces forming the support for the fleece which leaves the card doflerand arranged to move in non-parallel directions away from such dofl'er whereby the said fleece is changed in width.

6. A fleece width controller for cards comprising a plurality of fleece-supporting surfaces, upon or over which the fleece moves in leaving the dofler 0f the card and means for imparting to such surfaces a motion which comprises movement, lateral or transverse, to the general direction of fleece delivery and which thereby operates to change the width of the fleece departing therefrom.

' 7. A card-fleecewidth controller comprising an apron or frame member located to receive the, fleece from the card doffer and provided with a number of moving members presenting surfaces adapted to engage and support the fleece, such members being disposed in distributed relation on said apron,

and means for imparting motion to such members to change the width of the fleece conducted thereby.

8. A card fleece width controller comprising a series of convergingly arranged endless belt conveyers located to receive and conduct the fleece delivered by the card dofler,

' a support on which such conveyers are mounted in a distributed relation, and means for imparting motion to such conveyors whereby the fleece is changed in width.

9. A card fleece width controller comprising, a series of moving independent surfaces receiving the fleece from the card dofler and moving in directions away from the dofl'er and in convergent lines to change the width of such fleece, and in means for varying the convergence of their said directions of movement.

10. A card-fleece width-controller, consisting of a card front provided with a fleece conducting surface adapted to change the width of the fleece conducted thereover and a member adapted for manual adjustment to vary the degree of such change.

11. A card-fleece width-controller consisting of a card-front having fleece-conducting means adapted to reduce the width of the fleece and means for adjusting said front to cause it to expand the said fleece.

12. A card-fleece width-controller comprising a series of suitably supported moving tapes together forming a conveying surface by which the fleece is changed in width, and means for altering the relative operative positions of such tapes to vary the width of the fleece delivered therefrom.

18. In a card, means for changing the width of the fleece comprising a series of tape-like conveyors suitably driven to carry the card fleece away from the card dofl'er, the width of such series of conveyors at its fleece-receiving end being substantially equal to the card cylinder, and means for laterally changing the positions of such conveyors at the delivery end of the said series.

14. A card fleece width controller comprising a series of flcececonducting members adapted to receive and conduct the card fleece away from the card dofler, the width of such series being substantially constant at its receiving end, and means for variably and simultaneously enlarging all the spaces between adjacent fleece conducting members at their delivery, whereby the said members may have substantially uniform width-changing action on the fleece for their different width adjustments.

15. In a card-fleece width-controller, means for changing the width of the fleece emerging from the card dofl'er and a delivery means therefor comprising a dofling cylinder receiving the changed fleece and a dofl'er knife discharging the same therefrom.

16. A card-front comprising in combination means for changing the width of the fleece delivered by the card doifer, means for reforming such changed fleece in its new width, and means including a dofl'er knife, for discharging the fleece as thus reformed.

17. A. card-front comprising in combination, means for changing the width of the fleece delivered by the card doffer, means for varying the extent of such change, and means for reforming the fleece .in its new width.

18. A card-front comprising a series of convergent tapes, suitably supported and driven to conduct the fleece from the card doifer, a rotary brush at the delivery ends of said tapes, a doiflng cylinder cooperating with the brush and means for discharging a fleece from said cylinder.

19. A card-front comprising in combina 21,. In combination with a card, a card-' front comprising fleece-reducing and reforming and discharging mechanism operating to discharge a fleece of diflerent width and gearing connecting the same for operation by the card. J i f 22. A. card-front comprising means for changing the width of thewfleece, gearing connecting the same for operation by the card and a movably mounted frame for such width-changing means adapting the same to be moved into and out of connection with said gearing. v

23. A card-front for changing the width of the delivered fleece comprising an apron m vably mounted with respect to the card slvely greater dlstances from their pivots and forming the support for a plurality of convergently arranged fleece-conducting tapes, means for driving such tapes, whereby the fleece thereon becomeschanged in width according to the degree of convergence thereof.

era card front for changing the width of the fleece comprising a frame movably mounted with respect to the card and sup-v portiug a plurality of convergently arranged and. mo ing surfaces, whereby the. fleece is conducted away from the card dofl'er, in. combination with means receiving the fleece from such surfaces adapted to reform and discharge the same in the same width as received. i

A card-front for changing the width of the fleece, comprising an apron supporting a plurality of fleece conducting tapes, disposed convergently, means on the OPPO. site side of such apron fortaking up the slack in such tapes, and means for driving the tapes. i

526. A. card-front comprising a tilting apron, a series of tapes mounted to move thereon to carry the fleece away from the dofl'er, take-ups for such tapes mounted underneath the tilting apron, and means for driving the tapes along the apron.

27. Acard-front comprising an apron, a plurality of fleece-receiving and conducting tapes moving thereon, and means for contracting or expaiiding the spaces between the tapes to control the width of the fleece delivered thereby, a brush receiving the fleece from such tapes, a doifer cylinder receiving the fleece from such brush, and a dofl er knife for discharging the same from the cylinder.

28. A card-front for controlling the width of the fleece comprising a series of tapes convergently mounted to receive and conduct the fleece, and a plurality of guideframes for such tapes determining the po .sitions thereof with respect to the fleece,

and means forimparting simultaneous rela tive adjustment, to such guide-frames to vary the convergence of the tapes and the width of the fleece delivered therefrom.

29. Ina fleece width-controlling device the combination ofa series of fleece-conduct 'ing members, a movable guide-frameor sup port for each membeigand adjusting mechanism operable to mpart variant motions to the guideframes on each side of the center whereby said members can be automatically maintained convergent toward substantially the same point.

30. In a widtl1controlling device a series of moving-conducting members, a pivotally mounted guide for eachmember, and adj u sting mechanism adapted to maintain such members convergent at different angles, but

to substantially the same point, comprising a means engaging said members at succesand adapted to shift the same relatively to each other.

31. In a width-controlling device a se ries of moving conducting members, a pivotally mounted guide for each, and adjusting mechanism therefor, comprising plates engaging the members on each side of the center at successively greater distances from thereof, and adjustable guiding means for such tapes also mounted in the rear of the apron.

v In ia cardfront, an apron extending downwardly from the carddofl?er, aseries of tapesmounted to slide downwardly over the upper face "of the apron, a guide frame pivoted. in'rear ofapron foreach tape, a take-up for each tape and a drum common to said tapes fordriving the same. i

conveyor.

' such fleece, and means for bodily adjusting v 36.1111 a card front, the combination of means for conducting and changing the width of the fleece, a conveyer to receive the said means laterally of the conveyer.

bination witha series ofcards, a conveyer I Witnesses: V v '37. In cotton wadding apparatus the com-' common to the series arranged to receive the fleeces therefrom in superposition, and means for shifting the path of the fleeces moving from the card onto the common conveyer, whereby. the superposed fleeces thereon may be broughtinto marginal registry. 38. In a card front, the combination of an apron, a series of tapes mounted to move thereon, a series of flat-faced pulleys conducting such tapes onto'the apron, and supports for such pulleys having checks in rear thereof to maintain the tapes upon said pulleys.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this Specification in the presence of two witnesses. t

-GHARLES A. ALLEN.

ROBERT S. METGALF, OSCAR L. OWEN.

; Copies of this patentlmay be ohtai'neduf or five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' 7 Washingtom'D. G. 

